Into the Nightlife
by Jerilynn
Summary: A little vacation time never hurt anyone, right?    Rated T for the time being.    *Disclaimer* Please check back regularly to see changes to this fic. I will note in each chapter which changes have been made.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Into the Nightlife

Category: MSR/Humor/Alt Reality (ish)

Rating: T (for now)

Summary: A little paid vacation time never hurt anyone, right? (Not giving anything away this time)

Note and Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and Skinner belong to TenThirteen, Chris Carter, and FOX Productions. All others are that of my own. Yes, I am pushing boundaries in this story and yes I am aware I am using songs that do not match the decade. Story takes place in mid 1999…most of the songs are from 2005 and beyond. This story is entirely new for me—this is my own glorious fluff and I hope that it is at least somewhat enjoyable haha!

Please check back for changes. There mayyyy be one in the future if the second chapter does not turn out as I had hoped. =)

July 15th 1999

4:00 pm (Thursday)

FBI Offices, Washington DC

"No, no I understand that, Sir…yes I'm aware that those run out after a certain amount of time…now? No…But, Sir…I'm not arguing with you…" Mulder had the phone up to his ear, a look of discomfort across his face that caught Scully off guard as she walked into the office.

She scanned the room a little, taking in each dusty, dimmed detail of the room. Scully's eyes focused on the tiny windows looking out to the street above as well as the lack of lighting by her partner at the desk. The small glow of the desk lamp was the only light on in the office and she reached back to the light switch, flipping it up, shedding some light on the situation. He winced at her for a moment as held the phone to his ear. She couldn't help noticing that his desk was a mess again, but more so than usual. Scully looked at him, watching as he furrowed his brow, closed his eyes, and rubbed his chin. _He looks like he's having a colonoscopy. _She determined in her head and smiled despite trying not to. He glared at her for a moment.

"No, Sir, I'm not ignoring you…" Mulder realized he had just missed the last sentence being hurled at him through the phone.

_Why does your life suck, Mulder?_ He thought to himself as he leaned forward, pressing his elbow against the desktop. He tapped his foot on the floor and rolled his eyes as the voice on the other end of the phone continued to get louder and louder. _I'm really in for it this time aren't I?_

Scully stifled a laugh with her hand as she placed her coat and purse on the chair on the other side of the desk. She walked off to the filing cabinets and started thumbing through the files in the "IN" box she had labeled. It was stacked a foot high. She was doing her best not to take a moment and watch him, but the curiosity kept getting the better of her. She looked back at him, examining him to the full extent. _Tightening of his jaw, moments of adjusting an already loosened tie, and fidgeting. What are you getting your ass reamed for this time, Mulder?_ Scully was staring for a little too long as Mulder glanced over at her. He winced and threw the rubber-foam stress ball she had given him at her. He hit her in the chest with it.

_Oh, whatever, Mulder, I see how it is._ She looked down at the ball on the floor and kicked it towards the desk. She couldn't help noticing how alluring he looked when he was angry—eyes determined and vexed, skin a very deep flushed pink, lips pressed together. It brought a little chill down her spine just thinking about it. She didn't want to think about him like that but how could she not? Yes, he was her partner but Scully was still a woman who could feel attraction to another—that attraction just happened to burn like fire for someone she worked with. Scully bit down on her lip for a moment to quell the urge to let out a soft moan of tension.

"Okay, okay, okay, I relent…fine, I'll do it, starting today…Yeah, thanks, Sir," Mulder hung up the phone and nearly slammed his head down on the desk. "Scully if you don't stop looking at me like that I am going to—"

"Going to what, Mulder?" Scully finally let out a small laugh as she cut him off in mid sentence, hiding a little blush that had just appeared upon her face.

"Nothing—" Mulder looked up at her, frustration and a subtle hint of pain on his face. "I need to pound out some aggression on someone, one way or the other, Scully. Feel free to interpret that how you need to. I'll take what I can get."

Her jaw dropped but she decided against inquiring as to whether or not he was directing that comment at her or not. "What's wrong?"

"Well, Assistant Director Skinner just informed me that I have vacation time coming and if I don't use it within the next 4 weeks I will lose it until next year and start over from scratch. This means starting out with two paid days per every six months on the job. I have two weeks paid vacation starting as of two minutes ago…" Mulder forced out a smile, clearly irritated, and looked at her. "It came as a great slam, bam, thank you ma'am."

"That's all? Mulder, I think you need that vacation time. I came in here thinking you had been handed your ass over the phone when in reality you were told to take some time off? It's not the end of the world," Scully leaned against the desk, crossing her arms, a devilish smile forming across her lips.

"Scully—what am I going to do for two weeks? I don't exactly have an active social life," Mulder started gathering up his jacket and laptop into the case. "I had friends…ten years ago."

"Well, Mulder, I have some vacation time to spend myself, maybe we could…if you want to…" Scully stammered. _Jesus, just spit it out or you'll never get this chance again._ "Spend some of it together and get out of our element for a while? Make sure we still have some social skills left in our bags of tricks?"

She bit her bottom lip and watched as a boyish smile peeked at her from his face. Her fingers went instinctively to the hem of her skirt, fiddling with it, trying not to look at him. He watched her shift her weight from one foot to the other and noted the nervous stutter. _Scully, did I ever tell you that you are incredibly sexy when you are nervous? No, I bet I haven't. _Mulder stared up at her, nodding slowly. He wrapped his brain around the idea, around the thought of just he and Scully—no work, no interruptions of any kind. He liked the idea but didn't know how well he could trust himself in such a casual setting with her, but he wanted to take that risk.

"Scully, I think you're on to something—and to start this vacation time off on a high note, I think that we should go out tonight, maybe dinner and a movie?" Mulder decided it was mean to keep her in suspense, but then realized he was making himself a little nervous waiting to give her something to go on.

Scully's mouth got ahead of her as she uttered her next question. "You mean go on a date, Mulder?"

_You are a moron, Dana. That was the stupidest thing you could've ever have asked._ She closed her eyes and marveled at the increasingly uncomfortable silence she had just subjected them to. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks along with a pretty shade of pink. Mulder grappled with his own slip of the tongue as well as hers as he looked down at his feet. _For once I'm thinking I'm being brave, but now I think I've just gotten myself into trouble._ Mulder couldn't help thinking that she was going to laugh at him or worse, turn him down.

"Why not, Scully?" Mulder's words practically knocked her legs out from under her as she realized he agreed to a date.

She felt like a little girl as she grinned at him. "Well, I suppose I should go home and get ready? I don't really want to wear my work clothes to dinner."

"I'll pick you up at 8?" Mulder strangely yet instinctively squeezed her hand and stood up from behind the desk.

_Oh, boy, what did you just get yourself into, Mulder?_ He bit down on his bottom lip hard and tried to play it off as though it were nothing. But it wasn't. It was a lot of something, something hard to explain, and it was so unfamiliar to them both in the past few years, and completely new towards each other. He looked back at her from the doorway and smiled. She smiled back, nervously, and watched him continue out the door. She waited to move until she knew he'd be at the elevator and gone.

"This is crazy—a date with Mulder? What am I thinking?" Scully paced around the office then stopped suddenly. "What am I going to wear?"

Her eyes widened as she grabbed her coat and purse and headed for the door.

**End Chapter 1**

I adore feedback so if you find it worthwhile please comment. If you have suggestions or ideas I would love to hear them as well! Many thanks in advance for any feedback given. =)


	2. Interruptions

Chapter Two: Pardon the Interruption

Note and Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and Skinner belong to TenThirteen, Chris Carter, and FOX Productions. All others are that of my own. Yes, I am pushing boundaries in this story and yes I am aware I am using songs that do not match the decade. Story takes place in the early summer of 1999…most of the songs are from 2005 and beyond. This story has been determined as glorious fluff so please enjoy. Also, I am well aware that the restaurant I have chosen for this fic was not open until January of 2003. But it was the only DC restaurant in my research that jumped out at me as an ultimate location for an appropriate "date".

Please check back for any changes.

7:45 PM, July 15th

Scully's Apartment

Her makeup was done—soft yet sultry—and her hips swung as she pulled a silk, deep burgundy dress with lace trim up and over them. She wore, oddly enough, a matching bra and panties set beneath the dress. They were one of those panties sets that had a garter belt attached to them, each little attachment dangled freely beneath the silken dress. She pulled the thin straps of the dress up each arm and zipped herself up, smoothing the front just a tad. She looked in the full-length mirror and took a deep breath. The last step was the legs as she reached over and pulled one stocking up to her thigh, clipping it into place with the garter. The second leg took a little longer as she slipped them higher, clipping each fastener in place, securing the stocking up her thigh. She let the dress hem fall back to just above the knee and stepped into her burgundy and lace heels. She was no longer Special Agent Dana Scully in her usual, matching pant suits; she was the very sensual and sexy Dana Scully.

"Here goes nothing," Scully took a long look at herself in the mirror.

She admired the shape of her body for the first time in a long time. The gentle curve of her hips, her backside, and her bust. She was showing just enough cleavage for curiosity to be perked, but not too much that would draw attention away from her face. You couldn't, and definitely wouldn't, look at one part of her body without slowly making your way up to her face. It was a rush to watch a side of herself come out that had not been out since college—and for him. What would he think of her now? She smiled softly as she applied a quick touch up of tinted, shimmery, scented lip gloss.

The doorbell rang.

Her eyes darted to the clock only to see that it was already 8:00. She took a deep breath and went for the front door. Her hips swayed considerably more pronounced than usual as she turned the handle to the door, pulling it open.

"Wow—you look, amazing, Scully," Mulder's mouth was slightly agape as he stood in her doorway, taking in as much of her as he could without staring too long.

Scully smiled, glancing down at the floor for a moment. "Thank you, Mulder."

He looked stunning himself. Pressed black slacks, deep purple semi silky shirt with matching patterned tie, and a very nicely pressed suit coat. He was cleanly shaven and practically glowing. He had a hand behind his back, holding something.

"Oh, these are for you," Mulder revealed a bouquet of purple roses, holding them out towards her, "I don't do traditional colors, Scully."

She smiled as she carefully took them from him. "They are beautiful, Mulder, thank you. Come in for a minute while I put these in water."

He watched her walk to the sink to fill a vase. He liked the way she moved in that dress as he got lost in each swing of the hips. She took them out of the plastic wrapping and slipped them into the fresh water, taking a moment to smell them. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him staring at her and she turned her head just slightly to look at him. Her eyes moved up, from his feet all the way until their eyes met. She could feel the heat rising back in her face as their eyes locked for a few moments.

"We should probably get going, I made a reservation, place gets pretty slammed even on a weekday," Mulder had to break the agonizingly intense gaze as he turned his body toward the door.

"Oh, yes, let me get my purse," Scully bit down on her lip just slightly as she reached across the table for her purse.

They were visibly nervous as they walked out the door. Scully's hand was shaking as she locked her door and continued down the hallway towards the car. The night was only just starting and their nerves were certainly already a factor.

8:30pm

Mie N Yu Restaurant

Scully slowly followed Mulder into the beautifully ornate entrance of the restaurant Mie N Yu, her eyes dancing at the golden curtain before her as the Hostess carefully led them through to a stairwell. Each piece of this restaurant was like taking a walk through the Spice Route in the East—beautiful lighting fixtures, mirrored walls, and brightly colored tables adorned each room. Each space was incredibly detailed and Scully found that she was becoming lost in the beauty of the visual surroundings as well as the intensely lovely smell of Asian cuisine. Mulder's gentle grip on her hand was the only thing steering her in the right direction as he rubbed his fingers across the top of her hand gently to get her attention. She smiled at him, a new smile, of not only wonderment but of a woman who was seeing a side of this man she'd known for so long in a brand new light.

They walked up the stairwell to a balcony-esque area that was above the main dining area and began a soft descent into a somewhat secluded, private dining booth. Scully was at first bewildered by the sight in front of her—an iron Birdcage with vinery sneaking around each curve, with a beautifully candlelit table and a gilded and glass blue lighting fixture above the center of the table. The first instinct was that they must not be at the right table, it was built for a group of six, but then Scully glanced to see two menus and two place settings at the back of the circle.

"Mister Mulder, our executive chef Tim Miller will be serving you and your guest, tonight. Your selections to choose from are on the menus and a waitress will be with you shortly to take your orders," the hostess smiled at them both as she explained to them about their dining arrangements. "Please enjoy your evening and do not hesitate to ask any questions if you need."

"Thank you," Mulder nodded and guided Scully into the circular dining booth.

"This is so amazing, Mulder," Scully slowly scooted toward the back of the circular table, sinking softly into the fluffy cushions beneath her.

He simply smiled at her as he took a seat a foot or two away from her, sliding into the seat from the other side of the circular table. Mulder looked very nervous, anxious even, as he watched her glance at the menu.

"Mulder, the price—"

"Scully, tonight is not about price…tonight is about sharing an evening with each other," Mulder shook his head and glanced down at his menu. "I was well aware of the price of this space when I made the reservation, Scully. Just let the menu speak to your stomach."

She smiled and continued to study her menu. A waitress came in and asked if they were ready to order, both agreed and started off with drinks.

"Something sweet, but strong, for my lovely company, and for me? Surprise me…my only request is that I not get sloshed on my first drink of the night," Mulder smiled at the girl as they continued their order process.

They ordered the Mie N Yu Dim Sum starter, followed by a Sunomono Blue Crab Salad for Scully, and"Good Fortune" Dumplings for Mulder as their first course. Their "Protein" choices were Chicken Rica Rica, Afghan Lamb Quabuli, and Wild Mushroom & Tofu Fried Rice. They also chose two sides of Roasted Moroccan Vegetables and a side of Nepalese Sautéed Greens. They agreed on the Valrhona Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert. They were both trying food that they necessarily would never have tried, both felt that they should take a bolder approach in choosing their meal. The waitress smiled as she took their menus and walked back up the stairs to the balcony, then off toward the kitchen.

"I have a feeling this is going to be either really spicy or really rich," Scully smiled softly, suddenly noticing the space between them. "…Or both."

"I am leaning more towards that both category, Scully," Mulder took another look at her, sheepishly grinning.

"Mulder, can I ask you something personal?" Scully took a deep breath and glanced at his mouth, then his eyes.

"Boxers, Scully—oh wait, that wasn't the question was it?" He laughed nervously as she smiled, giggling softly.

"No, Mulder—but, always good to know. What I was curious about was why all of this? Why now?" Scully didn't want to suddenly make the evening sad or down but she felt a burning curiosity to know the answers.

He contemplated for a moment as the waitress brought them two, tall drinks with different colored liquids in them. The one in front of Scully had a slice of pineapple and four cherries in it…his had an orange slice sitting on the top. He took a sip of his and watched her take a sip of hers. He felt the subtle sting of alcohol hit the back of his throat, but the aftertaste was sweet and tangy. His eyes noticed the rim of sugar on Scully's glass and his mind wandered for a moment.

"You know, two part questions are a killer, Scully," He took a deep, cleansing breath as he gathered the words to say what he needed to say to tell her without being upsetting. "To me, when it concerns you, all of this isn't all of this…I wanted to show you that I am capable of more than cold pizza and late night porn flicks that you've caught me watching on more than one embarrassing occasion, Scully. There have been few people who have taken a place in my life quite like you have and I didn't want to let a planned evening together to be less than wonderful. The other part of that question is a little more complicated, Scully."

"I want to hear the answer—that's what tonight is for right? Getting to know a little bit more about each other," Scully felt her knees shake a little as she spoke.

"It's embarrassing to know that the one person I have ever wanted to give the world to I never could get courage enough to just take a leap…that's the why now. If it's not fate slapping me in the face it's certainly seeing your face every single day knowing that you've stayed despite all of the incredibly stupid things I've said and done," He took a fairly sizeable gulp of his drink and looked over at her. "Now that I've thoroughly made an ass of myself we'll just move on to the next subject."

The reaction he had attained was not what he had thought he'd get as she reached over and ran her fingertips down his cheek and along his jaw line. Her free hand was rubbing against his thigh, unintentionally, as she smiled brightly at him. She was putting him through an utterly sweet agony as he felt the heat rising from his core.

She spoke so softly. "You're not making an ass of yourself, Mulder. Not in the slightest."

"Pardon the interruption but your starters are ready to be served," the voice of the executive chef brought their tender moment to a screeching halt.

Scully sat back right, coughed a little, and took a hefty drink of her cocktail in front of her. She, too, took notice of the sugared rim of the glass and quickly captured a small amount of the sweet, granulated sugar with her bottom lip and swallowed it with a fair amount of her drink. She felt the liquid, both cold and hot down her throat, followed by the semi-sweet aftertaste of the sugar still on her tongue. She focused her attention on the executive chef.

"I know it's probably customary to do a fairly decorative introduction of the meal but—we don't really need it," Mulder continued. "I do appreciate the gesture and tradition…"

"No explanation is necessary Mr. Mulder, I'm sure you and your wife would prefer a little more low key night," the chef smiled as he presented the starter along with two portion plates.

"We're not married," Scully smiled, sipping on her drink a little bit more, "But we would like as much privacy as we can get."

Mulder practically choked on a little bit of pita bread as her words came out. _Holy shit, Scully!_ His mind was racing as the chef nodded and headed back up the stairs, leaving the two of them to the first portion of their meal. They both took bites of the tandoori chicken kabobs and looked at each other, basking in the glow of each other's excitingly brilliant nervousness. The starter round was mostly a series of mmmms and "wow" as the new flavors tickled their taste buds. Despite the food's ability to consume their sense of taste and smell, their other senses were tingling at the mere presence of each other. Scully had goose bumps each and every time Mulder's arm brushed against hers, while Mulder shuddered every time he caught a glimpse of Scully's thigh beneath the table.

They finished the starters and looked at each other's glasses, noticing the absence of liquid in both, while pondering what they should drink next. _I don't want to get drunk but I most certainly like the warm feeling I'm getting from whatever this was._ Scully smiled, thinking about the empty drink glass before her. _Bring it on, liquid courage._ Mulder licked his lips.

"Maybe we should consult the drink menu?" Scully smiled and picked it up, glancing at a few of the titles before her.

"Well, lets see what we have then," Mulder looked at the menu with her. "What looks good?"

"Pardon me, again, are you ready for your next course? Perhaps another drink?" chef Tim Miller had managed to sneak up on them again.

"Oh, yes, next course would be great. This time I'd like a North Star for my drink," Mulder chose a vodka and schnapps combination for round two.

"I'd like a French Kiss," the words rolled off of Scully's tongue like smooth silk as she chose the sparkling Cosmopolitan twist.

Mulder choked and fiddled with his jacket to distract himself for a moment as the glasses and the starter plates were cleared from the table. Scully fiddled with her napkin across her lap, trying not to look at him.

They were alone again—anxiety kicking them in the face, both flushed with embarrassment, and yet, craving with a desire that had never been felt before. They looked at each other, taking in the other's insecurities and sheltering them for a moment. It was a much needed solace for their nerves. The waitress had come in only momentarily to deliver their new drinks to them.

"You're awfully quiet," Scully nudged Mulder with her elbow, trying not to let her voice become as shaky as her hands.

"I feel like the school nerd out with the head cheerleader—and I sound like one at the moment," Mulder forced out a laugh he went for his drink.

She didn't need to say anything to him. Her expression spoke volumes as her eyes sparkled at him, revealing the woman he had never truly known, flicking a light on in the back of his mind that had only been on dim. He was severely attracted to Scully and had done everything possible not to let it come to pass…going after lesser women, burying himself in work, anything to distract him from jeopardizing a platonic bubble around their relationship. He was poking a pretty little hole in that bubble as his eyes continued to linger over hers. They both had been so careful as to not take a leap into the unknown. It was so much easier for them to think of the "what if?" instead of reacting to the "what now?" of stepping over the crooked line in the sand. This time neither of them could think, nor did they want to as their hormones attempted to give them a gentle shove forward. Scully felt her own impulses fire as she put a hand against his arm, bringing the glass back to the table. The distance between them was only inches but it felt like an ocean as they both leaned in toward each other, the sweet, inevitable end within their grasps, a breath away.

"Ahem…" The chef's all too familiar voice put a chill down each of their spines as the next portion of their meal had arrived.

_This is so awkward._ They both thought as they tried desperately to compose themselves in the presence of the Executive Chef, as well as for each other's sake.

It wasn't working.

END CHAPTER 2

I am so sorry for the delay of this chapter! Chapter 3 will be up soon…I had a little difficulty with a few of the details in this chapter, but I really hope that it is enjoyable because I sure did enjoy writing it! As always, comments are greatly appreciated and requested if you have ideas or just want to tell me what you think. =)


	3. Fumbling in the Dark

Chapter 3 "Fumbling in the dark"

Note and Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and Skinner belong to TenThirteen, Chris Carter, and FOX Productions. All others are that of my own. Yes, I am pushing boundaries in this story and yes I am aware I am using songs that do not match the decade. Story takes place in the early summer of 1999…most of the songs are from 2005 and beyond. This story has been determined as glorious fluff so please enjoy. Also, I am well aware that the restaurant I have chosen for this fic was not open until January of 2003. But it was the only DC restaurant in my research that jumped out at me as an ultimate location for an appropriate "date".

10:00pm

The gentle clanging of bells and finger cymbals brought them out of their nervous trance, a welcomed distraction of a fairly skilled belly-dancing routine by a woman in a red, gold trimmed gown. She wore silky veil across her face, hiding only the details of everything below her nose. Scully smiled as she put down her dessert fork and took the last sip of her drink, glancing at Mulder's face as though waiting for a sign. He had been looking at her and not at the enchantingly beautiful dancer in front of them. The blush formed on her cheeks, but she didn't look away as the fluttering in her stomach intensified.

Mulder grinned in spite of himself and glanced at the dancer, concluding that Scully was far easier on the eyes than the dancer was. He let his eyes linger over her, slowly scanning her under the table. She was deliciously inviting and dangerously alluring as the thought of what was hiding under that dress intruded into his thought process. Once you've seen one woman naked you've seen it all, Mulder, his thoughts wound around irrationalizing his fixating on her but he continued to postulate on the subject. Yes, he had once served witnessed to Scully's gently pale figure in a state of undress but it was never in a longing, loving manner—it was purely out of a "researched" mentality for her safety in one form or another. He had not had the pleasure of delicately peeling each little layer away to soak in the vision. He wanted to slowly expose each and every part of her, marvel at the image of her pale skin transition to a beautiful flushed pink and become clad with a sea of Goosebumps. He bit down fairly hard on his lip to quell the urge to clear the table with one arm and gather her up with the other—ravage every inch of her right there in the birdcage.

What he didn't know is that her mind was on nearly the same as she watched his fingers grip the edge of the table, his fingertips quivering, knuckles turning white. Calling it seduction would not have done her fantasy justice—and titillating would not have gone far enough. She smiled in acknowledgement of the heat between her thighs, sucking in the air to keep from giving in to her teenaged level of hormonal need for instant gratification. She gripped the cushion beside her and smiled at him tightly to perhaps avoid the awkward reality of her lust driven thoughts. The dancer slowly made her way out of the booth, smiling as she backed out and up the steps, thankfully not noticing either of their body language. The song of the dancer had ended and the shaky beats continued to thud below them, vibrating the seats.

"You want to get out of here?" Mulder asked as the waitress returned with the bill receipts. "Still have that movie to see…"

"Absolutely," Scully grinned, sliding across the cushions with him. "What are we seeing if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ah, well we have a few options—The Matrix, The Mummy, American Pie," Mulder smirked at the third option, continuing. "It's really what flavor you want tonight. Comedy? Mushy-gushy? Blood curdling, homicidal horror? Drama?"

"Wait, you're giving me the power here—I haven't watched a movie in a theatre since 1989, not at all exaggerating that fact," Scully elbowed him in the side as they finally exited the building and walked out onto the sidewalk.

"I'm not exactly a pro either…besides my personal library that you nearly knocked over in my apartment," Mulder smirked in spite of himself in reference to his collection of adult movies.

"We're not going to that kind of theatre, Mulder...I'd rather not stick to the chairs," Scully pauses, eyes widening. "Or so I've heard."

Mulder laughed quietly as he watched her blush again, his hand slowly brushing against her fingertips, his own fingers sliding across hers until he awkwardly holds her hand. She smiles somewhat awkwardly at him as she let her fingers lace with his, their palms both a little sweaty as the night air seemed a little brisk for July. Scully pressed her lips together, renewing that light shimmer of remaining sheen of lip gloss that reflected the light from the street lamps above her head. Mulder looked at her from the corner of his eye as he noticed a light flush of pin across the top of her chest; a nervous reaction perhaps.

"So what's it going to be, Agent Scully? Are we tickling, scaring, or soothing you with little romantic bursts of mushy stuff?" Mulder continued, maneuvering in front of her for a second, walking backwards. "I'm not picky."

"Lets go with The Mummy—I liked the original a lot; maybe the remake will be somewhat similar?" Scully shrugged her shoulders a little. "I'll warn you in advance that I usually suck at picking movies. Notoriously terrible at decision making when it comes to entertainment."

"The Mummy it is then—" Mulder nodded. "I'm a little relieved at your choice because I read the advertisements for American Pie and I'm thinking we'd be stuck in a theatre full of hormonal, idiot teenagers who will spend more time doing extra-curricular activities—"

"Afraid you'll get ideas?" the words slipped out before Scully could prevent herself from the ill-presented Freudian slip as she brought her free hand to her mouth, covering it immediately.

Mulder stammered, his tongue struggling to put together a word but instead uttered a syllabic "umm" sound as they arrived at the vehicle. Mulder slipped his hand reluctantly out of a gentle grip with hers and went to the handle, opening the door. He again tried to put together a "your chariot, m'lady" but could only spit out a graceless, meek "mmmhm" sound, nodding like a dumbass in her direction. _You're so goddamn awkward, idiot._ Mulder thought as she wrinkled her eyebrows at him while silently sliding into the car. _She thinks you're stupid—and you know what? You are. Stupid. Pathetic. _He shut the door gently and circled the car toward the driver's side.

"Pull yourself together, moron, it's just Scully…"

But this wasn't JUST Scully this time. This was Dana Katherine Scully, easily the most beautiful woman that could tolerate his company for more than ten seconds—this was the Dana Scully that he has been undressing with his eyes since they came up with this booby trap of an idea. Vacationing with Scully? Two weeks? He knew this could either be amazing or end up prematurely aging him purely from the sheer stress of her. He gripped the steering wheel, completely oblivious to the fact that she had been saying his name for a least a minute straight.

"Mulder—are you okay?" Scully was concerned as he seemed to be completely on autopilot on their way to the theatre.

"Hmm? What was that, Scully?" He finally gave her his attention, sweating bullets as he realized they were already parked at the theatre.

"You've been completely ignoring me since we got in the car…" The sound of genuine disappointment was apparent in her voice as she sighed a little bit, sheepishly continuing. "Well we're here…and the movie is going to start in about 10 minutes. We should probably get in there."

Before Mulder could answer back Scully was out of the car. "Scully…"

Mulder stumbled out of the car as she turned her back to the car, seemingly withdrawn from the situation. _This doesn't mean anything. It never does._ Scully determined as she took a deep breath and put on a happy façade for him. Her stance went rigid, crossing her arms as he stood in front of her.

"Hey…" Mulder placed his hands on her shoulders, immediately softening her stance as she nearly melted into nothing in front of him. "I'm sorry, I had a minor case of tunnel vision back there—completely lost track of myself—"

"Mulder, you don't have to apologize to me, I'm fine," She half lied to him as she continued to fight a battle in her head.

"Did I mention in the last hour that you look absolutely gorgeous tonight?" Mulder brought her left hand up to his mouth, lightly kissing the top of her hand.

He broke her with his words as she let her eyes fall to the pavement, surrendering to his gesture of tenderness as she shook her head somewhat innocently. They were nervous again as their gazes lingered just a little too long both willing themselves forward and back, fighting the distance while keeping it safely between them, breaths hovering achingly close to a cataclysm—a kiss.

"GET A ROOM!" The shout of a group of teenagers stopped them from actually consummating the kiss as they were once again interrupted by an unwelcomed third party.

"We'll miss the previews—" Scully's eyes stayed closed as she teetered back on her heels, sucking in a breath as she picked up her dignity from the ground beneath her.

"We can't have that, can we?" Mulder gently kissed her cheek, bringing her back to reality, eyes sparkling at him softly.

She nodded in agreement, following him toward the doors where they purchased their tickets to the film, foregoing the popcorn and soda, and headed into a poorly lit hallway toward theatre 3 on the left hand side of the hallway. The pair sat down near the front in a space where there weren't couples and families tucked into their seats tightly with their snacks, some mothers and fathers hushing smaller children into finally quitting the conversation and/or tantrums.

They scooted into a row clad with center seat and aisle seat singles that dared not have another human within arms-length, finding only two open seats. The man in the aisle seat gave them a nasty stare from behind his nerd-status t-shirt that ironically said "I'm with stupid", the arrow pointing appropriately to his own face. Mulder couldn't help but smirk as he scooted past, the side of his legs bumping somewhat hard into the man's knees causing him to mutter "do you mind" as he uncomfortably moved past. Scully rolled her eyes indignantly as she passed, smacking her own kneecap against the guy's, tripping her in the process. Scully tumbled forward, landing on Mulder in his seat.

"Mulder…I'm so sorry," Scully's voice had a sweet, apologetic twang to it as she swung her arm around the back of him, looking at him from his lap.

Mulder smiled and touched the small of her back, whispering, "No, you can stay here the entire movie…I don't mind."

Scully giggles girlishly, negatively capturing the attention of people behind them as a handful of popcorn hits her on the top of her head and rolls down the front of her dress, sticking between the fabric and her skin. Mulder grapples with the urge to retrieve it, opting to help her to her seat, watching intently as she fishes popcorn scraps out of the top of her dress. She glances at him, smirking just a little until the lights go dark in the theatre and the paused hum fills the room before the green preview screen pops up for all to see.

They settled back in their seats with Mulder resting his hand on the arm rest between them, brushing his shoulder against her skin but received no indication that she was at all interested in the gesture. He exhaled silently, rebuffed, until her tiny fingers slid up under his palm and traced a circle in the middle before pulling his hand onto her lap while resting her head against his shoulder. Mulder grinned like a schoolboy on his first date and mouthed "yes" as Scully continued to snuggle against him, his heart thudding in his chest like a drum beat that he knew she most certainly could feel as she peeked at him.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" She unconsciously batted her eyelashes as she whispered up at him.

"No—dinner's just given me heartburn, you stay put," He soothed her, smiling at her. "Watch the movie, silly."

1:45 AM – In the car on the way back to Scully's apartment

The pair had been largely silent on the car ride home while the hum of popular hits played on the stereo causing both to poorly sing and hum along with the tunes, both causing bursts of laughter at the other's expense but in sweet jest. Scully had been rolling a thick wintergreen mint around in her mouth with the pad of her tongue, sending it to the roof of her mouth, back down and in a circle before letting the edge of it peek out between her lips before sucking it back in again. Mulder finally noticed the light clicking noise of the mint hitting Scully's teeth and caught a glimpse of the white sliding back into her mouth.

"Scully, what on earth are you doing?" Mulder smirked as he pulled into the parking lot.

Scully shook the tin of mints at him, raising an eyebrow. "Want one?"

"Waste no time in cracking that open, Scully, and sharing with the rest of the class—I'm surprised you haven't passed out from my breath yet," He felt comfortable as he popped two mints in his mouth, smiling at her. "Thanks. Now I'll be less offensive."

Mulder parked the car and watched as Scully slid out of the passenger side before hurrying like an eager puppy to offer his arm. Scully smiled at him and slid her arm around his, huddling in close as they got to the security door. Mulder knew the key code as he punched it in, enunciating each number at Scully causing her to let out a laugh until the door beeped to let them in.

"Mulder I had a really good time—I haven't had a lot of dates in the past six years and well, this one easily came in at number one. Thank you," Scully fished her house keys out of her purse and jiggled them toward the keyhole.

"It's easy to have a good time with someone who I want to have a good time with. I don't say it enough but you're the most important woman in my life, professionally and personally—I wanted to show just how much," Mulder fumbled with his words and noticed that she was having a hard time hitting the key hole. "Do you need some assistance with that? I might be better at aiming than you."

Scully nervously laughed as she continued to fumble with the key, desperately hoping he was not noticing that she had not once made it into the keyhole. "I'll get it eventually—this lock is just tough, you have to jiggle it just right or it won't slide open. I'm sure you're not really familiar with how much this lock sticks."

Mulder reaches out, placing his hand over the top of her hand and directs her fingers until the key finally slides effortlessly into the lock causing an electric twinge to surge up her arm and down her spine. The feeling is deliciously intoxicating as she looks up, into his beautiful eyes, her teeth capturing her bottom lip at the corner for a moment while drawing a breath in, making a slight squeak of approval.

"See? I'm good at these things," Mulder doesn't pull his hand away as her head turns, looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes.

"Would you just make a move already?" Scully found herself tugging at his shirt, blurting out the question like she'd been dying to ask it all night. "Please stop making me wait; it's agoni—"

Mulder brought both hands up to her cheeks and pulled her into a frantic, door rattling kiss that pulled them both slightly off balance as he leaned into her, pushing her bottom against the door. It was like a flood gate opened as the heat between them spilled out in a single moment that didn't need to end any time soon. Mulder fumbled with the key in the door, her hand attempting to turn the handle until the door finally gave way, letting them into her apartment.

Both of them stopped kissing long enough to let out slight chuckles before going after each other's mouths again in the dark like ruthless teenagers in the backseat of a car. Mulders hands went in search of a zipper on her dress while hers had already unbuttoned his shirt all the way to his navel. He tugged and pulled at the top of her dress along her back as well as under her arms but received no payoff as he gently trapped her against the countertop.

Mulder pulled his mouth away from hers, half laughing. "Does this thing have a combination lock or something?"

As Scully started to pull back her elbow hit a mug on the edge of the counter, knocking it to the floor, shattering it. The sound was unbelievably loud and was followed by the click of a light in the kitchen coming on, flooding the room momentarily. Both were blinded for a half second until Scully turned her head, a look of absolute horror on her face.

"Mom?!" Scully tumbled backwards and landed on her butt on the floor.

"Dana…Fox?" Margaret Scully did her best to hold in a laugh as she watched her daughter attempt to collect herself while Mulder feverishly buttoned his shirt, missing at least two buttons in the process.

"Mrs. Scully, how nice to see you tonight?" Mulder wiped the lip gloss from his mouth and helped Scully to her feet, neither willing to look at each other just yet.

"Fox, it's Margaret, I'm not that old—I should've called first," Margaret's eyes went from Mulder to her daughter as she tried to put on her best apologetic face but could only keep herself from smirking just a little bit.

"I better go…" Mulder's face was immediately pink as he tried to look Scully in the eye before giving Margaret Scully a quick hug. "Margaret, it's always a pleasure seeing you...I have paperwork to file, I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Margaret stifled another laugh as Mulder backed into the counter, pulling Scully back out the door by her wrist.

"Mulder, I'm so sorry…I don't have any idea why my mother picks tonight, of all nights, to show up at my apartment," Scully runs her fingers through her hair, trying to pull herself together only to get pulled into another loving, less frantic lip lock by Mulder in the hallway.

The door was still open and Margaret Scully shook her head before heading to the living room, resisting the urge to laugh again, giving her daughter a moment to gather herself. Mulder pulled away just enough for air to pass between them, their eyes still closed in a savory moment of bliss.

"Tomorrow you come get me—I promise I won't have any guests waiting in my apartment when we get back," Mulder lightly ran a hand down her cheek as her eyes opened.

"Ass…I have a walk of shame to commence. Pray for me?" Scully smirked as she started to move toward the door.

"You can always come home with me—"

"Don't tempt me right now—I'll see you tomorrow. Seven okay?" Scully held onto the door and leaned on it like a school girl having just received her first kiss.

"Seven is fine—goodnight, Scully," Mulder reluctantly began walking backwards toward the main entrance.

"Night, Mulder," Scully watched him go before sliding into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

She turned around just in time to see a cheese ball grin on her mother's face, preparing for a grilling of a lifetime. _This is going to be far more amusing for her than it is for me…this won't be so bad, maybe_, she determined until she saw her mother begin to tap on the couch next to her, the look of "spill your guts" screaming at her like neon across her forehead. Scully sighed. _On second thought._

End Chapter three

I so need and want feedback on this one! I'm already on chapter four so keep your eyes out if you're not already doing so! :D This chapter was so hard to write but it all came together in the end. Keep your eye out for more.


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